Afghan Commander Says The U.S. Should Leave

   This from Al Jazeera    FEBRUARY 22, 2007

An Afghan regional commander believed to be loosely allied with the Taliban has said that the US will soon be forced to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan and Iraq.

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of the Hizb-i-islami armed movement, also blamed the US for Afghanistan's problems, in a tape obtained by Reuters news agency and released on Thursday.

Hekmatyar, a former prime minister whose forces operate in southeastern areas near Pakistan, denounced the US as "the mother of problems".
"As long as America remains in Afghanistan and in the region, war and problems will continue," he said in the video.

"I can say with full assurance and confidence that America does not have the ability to stay for a long period in Afghanistan.
"My analysis is that America [will] pull out from Iraq and Afghanistan simultaneously and the withdrawal perhaps will happen this year."
Hekmatyar said America's allies had sent troops to Afghanistan and Iraq out of fear of Washington, but he said a rift was emerging among them over whether they should stay on there.

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